MikeyJ

Just to reiterate what other posters have said, this announcement is legit. A press conference with Jimmy, Schwab, MCC president David Meiklejohn and MCC CEO Stephen Gough has been called for 10.45am There is no question that this announcement will see the MFC brought back under the umbrella of the MCC - we just need to wait to find out what the actual benefits of the arrangement will be.

In answer to the OP's questions, Whelan played round one in every season from 2002-07. He missed the start of 08 and will miss the start of 09. Wheatley has played round one from 02-05 and in 08. He played round two in 06 and 07. However, both have missed large chunks of seasons through injury - particularly Whelan.

Thanks Ox05, I've got the MFC/MCC membership package as well - and I share your love of the FGS bar! But my question was really in relation to Rampaging Demon's comment: I don't know what he's getting at, but to me it reads as though he believes the $150 MFC/MCC membership gives the bearer entry to the MCC Reserve, without an MCC membership. I'd hate for a bloke to be disappointed!

What's this crossover you fellas are talking about? It sounds from Rampaging Demon's post that non-MCC members are able to access members-only areas of the MCC Reserve. Is this the case?

:lol:

I'm interested in both items, but I'd like to know a little more about their condition before seriously considering a purchase. Could you post some pics on the site, or add a link to some photographs?

I see more than a little of Nick Dal Santo in Strauss. Gilbee is apt as well, given he's seemingly destined to play off half-back going forward, but it was Dal who immediately came to mind upon watching Strauss's footage. On very limited viewing, he appears to be a more straight-ahead player than the Saints winger. In regard to the indigenous boys, Bennell looks a medium defender who plays tall, while Jetta is clearly a small. Bennell looks to have a little more poise in the footage, and perhaps a couple more tricks. Apart from the top three, I'm actually most pleased by the selection of Bail. He looks a very good get as a late pick. He might not be a star, but he should be plug 'n' play and he'll give us another elite runner to go alongside Bruce and Morton.

Hannabal's on the money. Grimes is definitely making his debut this Sunday.

It's Collingwood and they're suffering. Of course it makes it right. Agreed that it was a fantastic night. Let's hope it's the start of something big for our club.

To everyone suggesting Garry shouldn't have rubbed the Pies' noses in it: You don't reckon Collingwood fans, high profile and otherwise, haven't made comments about the likes of Carlton at club functions in the past five years or so? Good on Garry. Melbourne supporters, as a rule, hate Collingwood. I know I do. Nothing wrong with a little gloating to pump up the atmosphere at a club function.

If Shane Valenti plays 100 games for the club in the next six or seven years, he will have had a good career. I rate him as a very handy depth player, but not an automatic selection. Better than Godfrey and Ward, not up to the likes of McLean, Jones, Moloney, Bate, Grimes and Morton. These are the blokes who will form the nucleus of a midfield that will have a tilt at a flag.

I'm flattered that you think my prose is of sufficient quality to write for The Age. But you're not even close, snowflake.

Gee, there are some precious little snowflakes around here. If ever a club was ripe for a pot shot or two, it's us right now. Add to that the fortuitous timing of Mr T being in town and you've got some rolled gold right there. I reckon any self-respecting journalist would be remiss if they DIDN'T have a bit of a dig at us and involve the fool-pitier himself. God knows I would have. And for those who are too stubborn to Google Rod Curtis, he's the night sports editor of The Age. Hardly a "budding hack journo".

I'll second (or third?) that analogy. I've only seen Watts from footage on the TV, but the little I saw of him in the VicM v WA game gave me that exact impression. A standout moment came in the first term, when he gathered the footy at the top of the 50m arc and danced around about four blokes to give off a handball. It was on par with anything that TJ did in and around packs, and I rated him our best at finding time and space in traffic. The handball found a teammate (Mitch Banner, I think) who was immediately wrapped up in a tackle. Some judges might mark that passage of play as an error by Watts - I disagree. Watts was just too good for his teammates; that piece of play was a level above. Surround that sort of talent and nous with similarly gifted players and he will blossom.

Yes. We were burned by the AFL about three years ago, when they downgraded our tally of members. Our tally is "ticketed" members, or at least the ones the AFL counts.

No, he's not the worst for the Saints, but that's probably an indication of how badly they're faring in this area. For a bloke who spends most of his game time in the guts, only making one tackle against the Swans was clearly not up to scratch. Given Ross Lyon had laid it on the line to his players before the game and told them that defensive efforts, one percenters and tackles were what they would be marked on, Dal Santo was a clear example of a senior player who failed to lead. The fact he hasn't been credited with a single one percenter this season might illuminate the reasons for his omission, too.

Love him. He bleeds for his football club and it's great to see him playing so well at this late stage of his career. He's an inspiration. If he wins the Brownlow, he'll be one of the most popular victors since Jimmy.

I don't know that he's trying to be too cute with the ball. I think it's more to do with where he's getting the ball and what he's got in front of him. He's often receiving the footy on the end of a couple of handballs through the midfield, and it's his kick that is sending us into the forward line. This is a good thing for both him and and the team. It's good for Cale because it gives him confidence that if he runs to the right spots, he'll get the ball from his teammates. It's good for the team, because you want your elite players with the ball in their hands when it matters. The downside of this is that he's playing in a team that's bereft of key forward options and he is having to spot up a player if we're any chance of scoring. The option of going long - which his kick is ideally suited for - is not available to him. Other teams know this, and defend accordingly. Couple that with his slight body, a crisis of confidence and you get the results we've seen in the past two matches. Thus, Morton is being forced to create something with his kick and it's not coming off. Big deal. Like many here, I'd much rather an elite talent like Cale learning on the job, so to speak, rather than racking up cheap, meaningless stats at Sandy.

NSW/ACT are a second tier state side. WA are the reigning champions and won like the overwhelming favourites they were. While I don't doubt Naitanui showed something special in that moment late in the game, the fact that he only had 20 hitouts and eight possessions worries me. For a player who's meant to be the dominant under-age player in the country, they're not special stats. When people talk about Naitanui, they always talk about his tackles and his hitouts. As far as I'm concerned, they're bread and butter for any really talented ruckman. If we are going to pick an athletic freak at No. 1 and ignore the best under-18 mid in Rich and the best under-18 KPP in Hurley, I want to see more than eight possessions. I want some real hurt factor in the way that Naitanui plays. I want to see goals when he's resting up forward. I want to see 15-plus touches when he's playing as a follower around the ground. Big leaps, hitouts and eight measly possessions against second-tier cannon fodder at the national under-18 titles doesn't excite me at all. Look past the style and see the substance.

It was very long and involved, and basically involved 12 scenarios where you were asked to compare three categories of membership and choose the one that was most appealing. The benefits provided by the three categories changed in each of the 12 scenarios, as did their cost. I guess they were trying to work out what type of membership appealed to what sort of member, and what different options they could add. There was no real common thread through the survey - the theoretical memberships outlined were very different in each case. Bub, the absence of voting rights on some membership options was a concern for me too. I told them at the end of the survey that as I am an MCC member, the voting rights for the MFC is the single most important part of the membership for me. I also implored them to retain the MCC/MFC membership. Titan, don't fret too much about not getting to complete the full survey. As others have said, collating all the data from these responses would be very expensive and I suggest the club is trying to be as targeted as possible with who it sends the survey to.

I agree mostly with your assessment of McLean, but I believe his ability to kick to position is unrivalled in our team and indeed, there are few in the competition who compare. If he's got an iota of space in which to size up options, he'll generally land his kick in the right spot for the leading player. For a long time, TJ was our best exponent of this art and I think McLean is better. That said, McLean's hands aren't great and he lacks awareness at times. But you're right about his force of will. If he can maintain his focus and drag his teammates with him, we're a chance of doing something special during his career.

Correct weight. Yes, but none had queries over his football smarts or his kicking ability - merely over his temperament. All of them recognised Franklin's god-given talent. I'm not interested in recruiting an undersized AFL ruckman with suspect kicking and suspect football smarts, regardless of how high he can jump or how fast he can run.

We don't have a midfield jet. Rich is a jet. Naitanui is an athletic freak with queries about his kicking and football smarts. I would rather a champion onballer any day, thanks. I'd even take Michael Hurley from the Northern Knights over Naitanui. We could do with an A-grade key position prospect more than the aforementioned athletic ruckman with questionable kicking.

The MCC is one of the most egalitarian clubs going around. You wait your turn, you pay your money and you get the best seats and facilities in the best sporting stadium in the world for as long as you maintain your subscription. Rhino's eloquently described the advantages of having a large pool of active members above, so there's no need to repeat it. Part of the attraction of membership is the ability to pick and choose which events you want to go to. If you choose not to go to many, you still have to pay your $600. There's the rub and there's nothing unfair about it. In fact, it could hardly be fairer. You only think it's unfair because you're impatient. If you still feel aggrieved and hard done by, you should have had yourself nominated for the waiting list sooner. If that sounds ridiculous, it's only a reflection of your initial assertion that MCC membership is, in some way, unfair. And yes, I'm a full MFC/MCC member. This is my 10th year of taking up both memberships. When you finally join the MCC, will you stump up your $750 each year to support both clubs?

Nothing wrong with that story. As others have said, I suspect there might be something iffy about the comprehension skills of some of the readers.